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Presentation, discussion, and possible action on the 2026-2027 Community Services Block Grant State Plan and Awards
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
recommendation
WHEREAS, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (the Department) develops and submits a State Plan to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USHHS) every other year to administer the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG);
WHEREAS, the Board approved a draft 2026-2027 CSBG State Plan (the Plan) on April 10, 2025, which was then made available for public comment and no comment was received; and
WHEREAS, the final 2026-2027 CSBG State Plan includes the awards to eligible entities of 2026 CSBG funds as recommended through the Previous Participation Review and Approval Process (PPRAP);
NOW, therefore, it is hereby
RESOLVED, that the Executive Director or his designee are hereby authorized, empowered, and directed, for and on behalf of this Board to submit the Plan to USHHS and upon USHHS approval of such Plan to contract for the awards represented in the Plan and in connection therewith to execute, deliver, and cause to be performed such amendments, documents, and other writings such as anticipated grant guidance on development of the Plan from USHHS or to make such decisions and non-substantive technical corrections as they or any of them may deem necessary or advisable to effectuate the foregoing.
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BACKGROUND
The Department develops and submits a CSBG Plan every other year on or before September 1 to USHHS. The draft, approved by the Board on April 10, 2025, was released for public comment. The public comment period was open from April 25, 2025, to May 21, 2025, and four public hearings were held at four locations throughout the state between May 13-15, 2025, and no public comment was received.
As indicated in Section 7 of the Plan, 5% of the Department’s CSBG allotment is allocated towards state administration expenses and 5% is allocated for discretionary activities. In addition to activities such as training and technical assistance, organizational capacity improvements, a network transition fund, disaster recovery, and Balance of State Continuum of Care homelessness support, the discretionary activities include NOFAs for MSFW and NA Populations Employment and Education Initiatives as well as a Reentry Assistance Program.
It should be noted that the Plan follows a template and series of required responses pre-determined by USHHS with character limitations and specific instructions. Also, the Plan has yet to be reviewed and approved by USHHS. In its review, it is common for USHHS to request corrections to the Plan. Staff recommends approval for staff to make such required changes to ensure USHHS approval.
The Previous Participation Rule (10 TAC, Chapter 1, Subchapter C, §1.302) requires a review of CSBG awards prior to recommendation to the Board. These CSBG awards are subject to this review and are listed in Attachment A. The review has been performed through the PPRAP and all awards in the Plan are recommended without conditions.